Moscow Reports Successful Test of Reactor-Driven Burevestnik Cruise Missile

Moscow has trialed the nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, as reported by the state's top military official.

"We have launched a prolonged flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it covered a vast distance, which is not the limit," Chief of General Staff the general informed the Russian leader in a broadcast conference.

The low-altitude experimental weapon, initially revealed in 2018, has been described as having a theoretically endless flight path and the capacity to bypass defensive systems.

Western experts have previously cast doubt over the missile's strategic value and Russian claims of having effectively trialed it.

The head of state declared that a "final successful test" of the armament had been carried out in 2023, but the claim lacked outside validation. Of at least 13 known tests, just two instances had limited accomplishment since several years ago, as per an arms control campaign group.

The military leader reported the projectile was in the sky for fifteen hours during the evaluation on October 21.

He said the projectile's ascent and directional control were tested and were confirmed as up to specification, according to a domestic media outlet.

"Consequently, it demonstrated superior performance to evade anti-missile and aerial protection," the media source stated the official as saying.

The projectile's application has been the focus of intense debate in military and defence circles since it was initially revealed in recent years.

A 2021 report by a American military analysis unit stated: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would offer Moscow a singular system with worldwide reach potential."

Nonetheless, as an international strategic institute noted the corresponding time, Russia faces major obstacles in developing a functional system.

"Its entry into the country's stockpile likely depends not only on resolving the considerable technical challenge of ensuring the reliable performance of the atomic power system," analysts wrote.

"There have been several flawed evaluations, and a mishap leading to several deaths."

A defence publication cited in the analysis claims the missile has a operational radius of between 10,000 and 20,000km, permitting "the weapon to be deployed across the country and still be able to strike goals in the United States mainland."

The identical publication also notes the projectile can travel as low as a very low elevation above the earth, causing complexity for air defences to engage.

The missile, designated an operational name by a Western alliance, is thought to be driven by a atomic power source, which is designed to activate after initial propulsion units have sent it into the air.

An inquiry by a news agency the previous year pinpointed a facility a considerable distance from the city as the probable deployment area of the armament.

Employing satellite imagery from the recent past, an specialist reported to the agency he had detected several deployment sites in development at the location.

Associated Updates

• President Authorizes Modifications to Strategic Guidelines